NEWS

The 2015 NZ Cross-country Championships

MAY 18, 2015: Pahiatua's Paul Whibley made it
look easier than it was as he raced to title victory at the New
Zealand Cross-country Championships at the weekend.

The 36-year-old former Manawatu forestry worker, affectionately
dubbed "The Axeman" on the motorcycling scene, led from the start
of the fourth and final round of the nationals at Waitawhiti
Station, about 40 kilometres east of Pahiatua on Sunday, to wrap up
the senior crown for 2015.

But that was only the end result of what was really quite a
tough day for the professional racer and former international
star.

Whibley and four-time former and defending national
cross-country champion Adrian Smith, of Mokau, had traded wins
throughout the season, Whibley finishing 2-1-1 and Smith 1-2-2 at
the previous rounds.

However, with only three of the series' four rounds to be
counted, with riders to discard their worst result, it meant
Sunday's final round was a winner-takes-all affair for these two
heroes.

When Smith suffered bike problems and was forced out of the race
early on Sunday, it was an anti-climax for fans and the pressure
was off for Whibley.

He was able to cruise to the win, although, despite appearances,
it actually wasn't an easy ride for him on Sunday.

"I lost where the track went about midway through lap one and
lost about 15 places," he explained.

He was quickly on the charge again, however, and has recovered
his position at the front before the end of the first 24-kilometre
lap.

"I had a crash on the second lap too, and I hit a dirt
bank. The crash knocked off one of my hand-guards and I lost my
goggles. I quickly picked myself up and worked hard to make a gap
over the chasing pack (which was at that stage led by Hamilton's
Andrew Charleston and Rotorua's Scott Birch) and so, with a clear
track in front of me, the lack of goggles wasn't too much of a
problem."

The eventual final finish order for the three-hour senior race
was Whibley, followed several minutes behind by Charleston and
Birch.

Despite failing to finish the race, Smith had done enough at the
earlier rounds anyway to clinch the No.2 spot for the
championship.

The outright winner of the junior section of the cross-country
nationals was Kotemaori's Reece Lister and he had that title in the
bag even before Sunday's final round, after winning all three of
the earlier rounds, although he was disappointed to crash during
the pre-race "look lap" on Sunday morning and was unable to compete
in the final race of the series.

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